“This might just be the liveliest Malakat Mall has ever been in its five years of existence,” I thought, staring at the crowd in Malakat Grocer.
Located in Cyberjaya, Malakat Mall was dubbed by Business Insider as a “ghost mall” back in 2022, but on July 21, 2024, it felt like any other mall on a weekend.
This is likely because of the recent news that Malakat Mall would be closing down, with its last day of operations being July 31, 2024.
As a response to the closure, many of the shops held sales, which appeared to play a part in attracting customers. Speaking to visitors there, we learnt that a number of them were visiting for the first time after hearing the news of the closure.
Like them, the Vulcan Post team had decided to pay our first (and likely last) visit to the mall. We went in with the presumption that it would be empty and perhaps a little desolate, but reality was rather different.
But before we get into our observations that day…
What is Malakat Mall?
The founder of Malakat Mall is none other than Fadzil Hashim, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year-nominated businessman and the founder of Brainy Bunch, an International Islamic Montessori School.
The mall had opened on March 13, 2020, but faced challenges due to the Movement Control Order that was placed just five days into operations.
Even two years into the business, the mall had been struggling to breakeven, the owner shared with Business Insider.
Although the execution of the mall hasn’t seemed to work out quite as expected, the concept has been strong since day one. Essentially, Malakat Mall is a Muslim-friendly mall, focused on offerings for Muslim customers from groceries to clothing and everything in between.
On July 18, 2024, over four years into the mall’s operations, Fadzil took to Facebook to announce the closure of Malakat Mall Cyberjaya. Specifically, he said that the physical premises of the mall will be closed after July 31, 2024.
So, now that we know the vision and a brief history of the mall…
What does it look like?
Arriving at the mall at 10AM, we made our way to the basement parking. Right off the bat, we noticed that there were no options to pay via Touch n Go or MyDebit—something that most modern malls would accept nowadays. The machine only dispensed tickets, which must be paid via cash.
The parking lot felt a little rundown, an image that was underscored by the dusty, abandoned car that we came across.
But things started looking up when we actually entered the mall. Bright lights, tall ceilings, banners and decorations—Malakat Mall looked the part of any regular mall. The only thing it might lack, on a usual day, is foot traffic.
Many shop lots were empty, but the mall itself didn’t feel at all abandoned or “ghostly”. In fact, it’s quite a lovely mall, with spacious outdoor areas and an attractive interior design.
I could see it being a very family-friendly space, although many of the equipment in the “jungle gym” were rusty and not fully functional. Perhaps, if the mall had maintained or even built a better playground, more families would have visited.
Another reason why the mall had lacked customers might have to do with price. Speaking to some of the customers present that day, we heard comments about the pricing being two to three times higher than the normal market price.
But with sales up to 70% at the grocery store, products were flying off the shelves on the day of our visit. At the end of its journey, the mall was busier than ever. At least, that’s what some shop attendants told us.
I noticed that the Muslim-centric approach is very apparent throughout the space, from the BMF (Buy Muslim First) infographics to the prayer mats stationed in the centre of the mall.
Although I’m a non-Muslim, I can understand and admire the sentiment of wanting to create a mall where shoppers can buy without any worries.
From what I could tell on that day, it appeared that there is a market and demand for such a concept. There were queues for the Islamic VR tech attraction, and the mats were almost fully occupied during prayer time.
Seeing that reception, it does feel like a shame that the mall is coming to an end. Which begs the question…
What’s next?
There have been some articles online arguing that the closure of the mall “signals the failure of [the] BMF movement”. However, Malakat Mall is not the only mall facing a dip in traffic and demand.
Days before the announcement of Malakat Mall’s closure, Al Jazeera published an article titled, “Malaysia is building malls like crazy – but shoppers aren’t coming”.
“Dozens of new malls are under construction in the country even as existing complexes struggle to attract customers,” author Patrick Lee wrote.
Speaking to Foo Gee Jen, an adviser with real estate consultancy CBRE-WTW, Al Jazeera reported that consumers in Malaysia today seem to want an “experience beyond just shopping”.
This insight, paired with our observations of the crowds on Sunday, goes to show that with the right marketing and initiatives, perhaps business could have flourished at Malakat Mall. It certainly has the capacity to do so, with enough stores and attractions to keep shoppers entertained.
But of course, that’s all easier said than done. I’m sure that the tenants as well as the mall management did try their best to market themselves, but it may not have been enough to draw a substantial crowd to keep things running.
Moving forward, the Malakat Mall concept lives on through online avenues.
The retail unit will adopt an online business model, selling items such as fashion, accessories, stationery, books, and jewelry at www.malakat.com.
“The image of the Muslim-friendly and entrepreneur-friendly market is the image of Malakat Mall that will not stop here and must be continued in any appropriate form,” the founder wrote in his Facebook post (which we translated).
Meanwhile, F&B businesses will move into the neighbouring Casa DeMadani building, which Fadzil said will be transformed into a “RumahMakan” restaurant. As for Malakat Grocer, it will only maintain operations in Taman Kosas, Ampang.
Ultimately, I can’t say for sure what went “wrong” with the mall, whether it boiled down to lacking proof of concept, or if it had to do with the execution of the idea. As busy as it was on Sunday, the crowd was likely one that would be hard to replicate, at least sustainably.
In any case, there’s another week or so left to Malakat Mall’s physical operations. So if you’re curious to check it out, do so before it’s too late.
- Learn more about Malakat Mall here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.